In this information age, people need to be well informed and organized to effectively carry out day-to-day activities, especially when they are traveling and away from their “home” base where they normally conduct their business. As a result, use of mobile devices which facilitate mobile communications, such as wireless telephones, is ubiquitous.
Wireless phones conveniently allow users while traveling to call and communicate with other people. In case a user cannot remember the telephone number of a contact or it is not handy, he/she can call an information assistance provider for assistance which includes, e.g., an operator, a voice server, etc. To that end, an expansive network of communication call centers has been established which provides users with nationwide assistance. Some information assistance providers offer enhanced services in addition to information assistance. For example, a user may call an information assistance provider to obtain directions and other information concerning, e.g., restaurants, theaters, etc., or to make a reservation or purchase. In some cases, a user may call an information assistance provider to receive voice email service, i.e., to access his/her email accounts and hear selected email messages.
To receive a particular enhanced service, e.g., a voice email service, a user typically dials a number, e.g., a 1-800 number, that is specific to the desired service. In other words, the user typically dials a first number to access his/her email accounts, a second number to receive travel directions, etc.
After receiving an enhanced service, a user may wish to return to an operator to request, e.g., information assistance. Unless the operator happens to have assisted that particular user previously during the same call, the operator typically has no way of knowing that the user received an enhanced service. This lack of continuity can cause the interaction between the information assistance provider and the user to be unleasant for the user. An operator's lack of knowledge about a call's history is particularly problematic where a user requests an enhanced service such as voice email service, but is prevented from receiving the service due to a communication problem. In many such cases, the frustrated user is simply reconnected to an operator who, having no knowledge of the user's situation, simply states, “Hello, may I help you?” If the user wishes to make the operator aware of the user's failed attempt to connect to the enhanced service, the user must himself/herself provide an explanation to the operator.